Pellinore

Thanks, @mc9! Very nice coins, and Selge has a history with triskeles, it turned out. If you try to google triskeles numismatically, you find yourself soon aswoon in a sea of triskeles (or is that bad English?). For instance, I saw a neatly illustrated article on Academia and a large number of coins on Asearch.info.

Here's a coin with a small triskeles at the lower reverse. Just to show that you see them in other cultures, too. It is a copper coin of the Qarakhanid dynasty, that was of Turkic origin and reigned in Central Asia. It was issued in Bukhara, still an important city in Uzbekistan, in the year 1009 AD. I think in this case the triskeles is a sign of the mint or the officina. Those who are interested in Arabic lettering: do you see the curious LA-ligature at the beginning of the obverse horizontal legends? Forked at the top and with a circle piedestal at the foot. A large thin coin: 27 mm, 2.70 gr.

Some years ago I bought this remarkable series of orichalcum coins from a venerable old seller, whom I have known since I was a boy of 15. Now in his eighties, he still has his little stand at coin fairs offering remainders of his once grand collections. When I came home, I noticed his coin holders all carried the same code: "Jakob Istanbul Dec. 1974." Apparently the four all came from the same seller, bought (at the day I acquired them) 43 years earlier from a coinseller Jakob in Istanbul. They probably were kept together for some time, or maybe cleaned injudiciously together, to account for the same accretions of milky and vermilion (or red cabbage) colors, not to mention the fresh green pea spots. Caracalla (198-217). AE Sestertius, Caracalla. Minted in Rome, year 211. Obv. Laureated bust to the right. M AVREL ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT. Rev. Fortuna seated to the left, shield under throne (the model for the early modern English farthing and some pennies). FORT RED P M TR P XIIII COS III P P / SC. Orichalcum 30.5 mm, 26.18 gr. Caracalla. AE Antiochia in Pisidia. Obv. Laureate (bearded) bust r. IMP CAE M AVR AN TONINVS PIVS AVG. Rev. Victory walking left, holding wreath. V(ICT D N) COL ANTIOCH/ S R. 33.5 mm, 25.06 gr. Caracalla. AE Antiochia in Pisidia. Laureate (bearded) bust r. IMP (CAE M AVR) ANTONINVS PIVS AVG. Rev. Emperor on horseback t.r. VIRT AVG C(…)/ S R. 24.80 gr. (Looks much like a die link on both sides with the Wildwinds coin - SNG France 1138). Caracalla. AE Antiochia in Pisidia. Obv. Bust r. PIVS AVG ANTONINVS. Rev. Tyche, kalathos on her head (this is a reed basket you can carry on your head, also interpreted as a fertility symbol), with palm and cornucopia t.l. GENIVS COL ANTIOCH /S R. Red stains. Orichalcum, 32 mm, 24.86 gr. This type not on Wildwinds.

Most attractive little coins! I was happy to buy a Harptree siliqua, too, three years ago in the midst of Covid times. 2807. AR siliqua Julian II. Obv. Diademed bust t.r. Rev. VOT X MVLT XX. 17.5 mm, 2.19 gr. East Harptree Hoard 1887-17935-451988. Ex-CNG. RIC 309, 312. RSC 148c. DN FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG; dr., cuir. and pearl diad. bust r. VOTIS/X/MVLT/XX in wreath with medallion in center containing eagle [???]; in ex, SCONST. RIC 309; good VF, minor striking weakness, toned. From the East Harptree, Somerset Hoard (found 1887, published by J. Evans in NC (1888) p. 22-46 and A. Robertson, Inventory of Romano-British Coin Hoards, 1424). Bought from Gert Boersema, July 2020.

Hmmm, this bishop was not very complimentary! But at least Nicephorus possessed 'fair size heels and feet'. As far as I know, Nicephorus Phocas was a capable general, a savior from Bulgars and Saracens, but he fell victim to the decadent infighting inherent in Byzantine politics: his empress wanted a younger man, so he was poisoned. Here's my only coin of Nicephorus II Phocas, a bronze coin of pinkish metal, I think I have seen that peculiar color before. It's partly weakly struck, but I like the portrait. 24 mm, 5.64 gr. Sear 1782-1783.

It's a German type denomination, it's an Eastern Celtic coin - Kugel = ball, Wange = cheek. A convex cheek.

Carausius is one of my favorite usurpators. He was the first and only Roman emperor born in the Low Countries, a Menapian, and the Menapii were a seafaring tribe living in the southwest of the current Netherlands and the west of Belgium. His Belgian character of bending the law without breaking it came in handy and in a foxy way he managed to secure riches and good positions for himself, in the end he was admiral of the Roman Channel fleet. Only when his corrupt practices were noted, in a flight forward he proclaimed himself emperor of Britannia and Gallia, at least the western part of its coastal area. Who knows what all this could have led to! A first independent United Kingdom of Britain and the Low Countries, something that could have had unexpected consequences for world history around that busy North Sea... But no, his jealous treasurer Allectus cowardly murdered him, only to go down ignominiously three years later, taking the promising United Kingdom with him. That is why I hate the obnoxious Allectus and will not show his galley coin, which has also blown in here by some callous ice-cold boreal winds. 2683. Carausius 287-293. AE Antoninianus. Obv. Radiate bust right. Readable text IMPCCA ... VG. Rev. Goddess t.l. with cornucopia and walking stick. C in exergue, = Camulodunum = Colchester. 24 mm, 3.39 gr. 2682 B. Carausius 287-293. AE barbarous antoninianus. Obv. Radiate head right. IMP C CA (…) CVG. Rev. Providentia in a short skirt with some absurd disfigurements. Text like VHJ – THX, or is it a cross at the end? 15-17.5 mm (oval), 2.41 gr.

Volusianus, a short-lived but full-fledged emperor, as a soldier did not come out of the shadow of his father Trebonianus Gallus. However, there are a good many coins of him, and here are two nice Provincials. AE Volusianus (251-253), Eukarpeia, Phrygia. Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. AV K OVOΛOVCCIA. Rev. Artemis standing facing, drawing arrow from quiver, holding bow, on left a stag, on right a small cult-statue of Kybele. EVKAPΠEΩN. 24 mm, 5.95 gr. AE Trebonianus and Volusianus (251-253). Antiochia, Seleucis and Pieria. Obv. Father T left and son V right, both with a radiate and draped bust. Rev. Portable shrine with four columns enclosing statue of Tyche seated facing, with river god (Orontes) facing, at her feet; above, ram running right; carry-bars at the base of the shrine! 31 mm, 17.82 gr. Cf. RPC IX 1853.

An able emperor who stayed, finally, after a long series of less succesful allmighties. A bit dour, and I never did my best to find a nice portrait. So I bought his coins for other reasons. Some of you probably recognize this coin. 2579. Diocletian 285-305, antoninian (285-295). Obv. Radiate and cuirassed bust r. IMP DIOCLETIANVS AVG. Rev. Jupiter standing facing, head right, preparing to hurl thunderbolt; at feet to left, eagle standing left, head right; XXI Γ in exergue. IOVI FVLGERATORI. Metal a bit reddish. 22 mm, 3.81 gr. RIC 167 or 168: see this lengthy discussion on CoinTalk. Ebay Coin.Ages ex-coll. Stevex6, August 29, 2018. Diocletian 285-305, brockage antoninian (285-295), Ticinum. Obv. Radiate and cuirassed bust r. IMP C VAL DIOCLETIANVS AVG. Rev. Incuse. 21 mm, 3.22 gr. Ticinum is the only place with ‘Imp C Val’. 3272 A. Diocletian, potin tetradrachm Alexandria 292/3. Obv. Laureate and cuirassed bust right. Rev. Bust of Zeus right, slight drapery on shoulder, wearing taenia; L ENATOY = RY 9 (AD 292/3) before and behind Zeus. 18 mm, 6.84 gr. Emmett 4086.9 (R5). 3273 A. Potin tetradrachm Diocletianus. Alexandria. 19 mm, 6.90 gr. Dated RY 11 (AD 294/5). Obv: Laureate and cuirassed bust right. ΔIOKΛHTIANOC CEB. Rev: Nike advancing right, holding wreath and palm; L IA (date) across field. Dattari (Savio) 5741. Emmett... ??? Ebay Lanz May 2017. Chosen by me as Top Provincial 2017.

Thanks @Sulla80, I really appreciate your remark, that helps me posting in this forum (I'm now following 4 fora, I doubt that I can keep that up). "What a great little piece, that uncia, I have never seen it before nor known it existed" I was going to add, and already started looking for it on Vcoins. Then I discovered this in my collection, full description: AE10 half quadrans Hadrian 117-138. Rome Mint for Antiochia Seleucis. Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind. Rev. SC over Γ in wreath. 10 mm, 1.02 gr. McAlee 543 (‘V. Rare’, and with E instead of Gamma). RPC online III, Nr. 3711 (6 in collection, with Z instead of Gamma). (Ebay Lanz, 2018). Left in the pictures. The right coin is the Trajan you mentioned: AE11 half quadrans Trajan 98-117. Rome Mint for Antiochia Seleucis. Obv. Laureate bust right. Rev. SC in wreath. 11 mm, 1.48 gr. McAlee 526. RPC online Nr. 3680 (‘chalkous’, 5 in collection). (Ebay Lanz, 2018)

Both SUPERB coins! What a great style!

I only have this Alexandrian family picture of the two brothers to show my Carinus. Sitting quietly underneath his brother Numerian. AE Tetradrachm, Alexandria. Obv. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev. Elpis, holding a flower and raising her skirt. Year 2 = 283. 18 mm, 7.52 gr. Dattari 5584.

Completely by accident these two coins appeared on my desk this evening. The large one is a so-called Silver-washed dirham of the latest decades of the Qarakhanid dynasty, probably minted in the year 1205 AD in Banakat, now in Tajikistan, at the upper Jaxartes river. These large copper coins with a slight silver cover replaced silver dirhams in the 1150-1250 period as a fiduciary solution for the silver shortage at that time and place - Central Asia only. Naturally, most of the coins are by now completely devoid of silver. But they are still quite impressive. This coin has a diameter of 38 mm and a weight of 5.76 grams. It is the type of Zeno 128051 but without ‘Imadi’. The small one is a silver tetartemorion (1/24 drachm), offered to me as from an uncertain mint in Cilicia? 4th century BC. Obv. Persian king or hero, in kneeling-running stance right, holding dagger and bow. Rev. Head (Male? Female? Athena?) to the right. 5 mm, 0.17 mm. I like the way that little Greek is looking unabashed up to that enormous bulk of coarse black matter, 1500 years younger. By the way, here's the little one in full. Enormously enlarged, naturally. So insignificant, yet so impressive, if you use a camera or magnifying glass.

Well, it looks like a countermark, this triskeles on the Hadrian. Who issued it, where was it done, who was responsible? And while we’re at it, is there anything known about the host coin?

A triskeles countermark! Where from?

March 27, a glorious sunny morning here in Europe, whereas Americans have just gone to bed (some of you, I have no doubt, sporting an Anthony van Dyke beard like Probus did in Lyons - what a discovery!). According to the scheme, it is Carus Day! Here he is, Marcus Aurelius Carus (c. 222-283), in a delicious chocolate color, an Alexandrian tetradrachm. Rev. Dikaiosyne standing. Year A = 282. 17 mm, 7.69 gr. Emmett 3396.

These two triskeles are a bit alike, though there’s 400 years and 1000 miles between (as the swallow flies). 1402. (I have about 1000 coins, but they are systematically numbered between 1000 and 8016 - the first is an ancient Greek, the last a Chinese coin of the 11th century) AR obol Persis. Pakor I. 1st century AD. Obv. Bearded bust left, wearing diadem. Rev. Triskeles. 12 mm, 0.58 gr. K&M 4/29; Alram 598 (Pakor II); Tyler-Smith 179-81 (Pakor II); Sunrise 609. Lovely strike on a nice broad flan. Excellent metal. Pakor triskeles coins series. 5749. AE Ancient Khwarezm, King Sijawsparsh, anepigraphic. 5th century AD. Obv. Bearded head t.r., crowned with a crescent filled with three dots (kulah crown). Stipple border. Rev. Triskelis: "running" tamgha, counterclockwise. 13 mm, 2.56 gr. Vajnberg Б2-15. https://www.zeno.ru/showgallery.php?cat=4761.

I have an early medieval triskeles, but it appears too daunting for my rudimentary photographical skills. However, this is the same coin type on Zeno. Minted in 740 AD, Balkh (eastern Persia, a city that had been recently conquered from Buddhists by an Umayyad general). Then there's the Lingones potin coin, of which I have a more detailed type. 18 mm, 2.23 gr. Lingones were living around what’s now Langres. LaTour 8329. In French this coin type was named 'Potin aux trois poissons', 'Billon with Three Fishes', but these lively triskelis doesn't contain fishes in my opinion. One side shows three organic forms like fish bladders, reaching up to the architectonic motif from Gothic times, the 'Fischblase' or 'Schneuss' in German, see this Wikipedia article. I don't know the English term. There are also three little organisms consisting of a tailed head. The other side shows three leeches, can't think of describing these differently. Did the leech have some symbolic meaning, that a tribe was putting these on a coin? Leeches were used for medical purposes since thousands of years. (When I posted this on another forum, a Frenchman (not without a slightly scratched pride) told me that what I thought were leeches, by French numismatic literature is considered seahorses.)

Citing John Conduitt: "Magnentius. (...) the official coinage was so bad it often isn't even possible to tell the difference." This yields very nice portraits of this not so nice emperor. Is this official or irregular? The texts are all readable, except for the first two letters in the exergue. Magnentius, AE unofficial??, Lugdunum. Obv. Draped and cuirassed bust right. In the left field, a large A. Rev. Emperor on horse to the right threatening an enemy kneeling in front of horse. Is he begging for his life, or does he just stick up both his middle fingers? GLORIA ROMANORVM. In exergue: NPLC. All the texts are there, but they are just a bit rickety-barbarey. 22 mm, 3.30 gr. And this one is also from that ilk: Magnentius, unofficial? Lugdunum. Obv. draped and cuirassed bust right. In the left field, a large A. Rev. Two Victories carrying a shield VOT V MVLT (…). Under this, SV. In exergue, RSLC. ‘Another full-size imitation in good style -- just a bit too extreme. From the issue following the issue of the previous prototype /S V below the shield. mintmark RSLG. Prototype: RIC Lyon 126, page 186. Bastien 174. Bastien imitation XVIII.57 is very similar’ (Warren Esty). 20 mm, 4.30 gr.

Franchise, an interesting point! DN is Dominus Noster ('Our Lord') by the way, not Deum Nostrum.

Besides, there are these two Claudiuses. But I don't know why the first was called a local imitation of Claudius II - it could be any radiate emperor! The second has an eagle alright, but it is a Divo Claudio-Consecratio imitation. Still, these coins are more to my taste than the two tetradrachms.

@DonnaML I like your double portrait! I have only two very ordinary Claudius II tetradrachms.

Yes indeed! What happened here?

I have a coin though... This is not gold, but green. I was going to post it in this thread, but as usual I was way too late for St. Patrick's Day. It's a large bronze coin, a Greek Imperial Roman from Thracia or Moesia, but only the obverse is there: the reverse is negative. One wonders about the history of the thing. It can hardly have circulated as a coin, but maybe it was used as a decoration. 29 mm, 15.45 gr.